The American continent has an ancient crop known as quinoa. If we
studied historical archeological data then we always read about that
quinoa was used even earlier then 3000 BC (Uncu et al., 2017). In early
days, quinoa was divided into different groups based upon colors of
plant and fruit but still, quinoa has been taken as an individual
species. Due to some specific characters, quinoa is considered as a
special individual crop as maize (Duchene et al., 2019). Quinoa has
different native names but most common is quinoa (Vega-Galvez et al.,
2010). Incas named this plant is the mother grain and also used to treat
health problems. It is also considered that this plant is given by God
as a gift. In some countries, it is a tradition to add quinoa into
different soups used to make beer, like cereal, and to make a
traditional drink of the Andes (Cooper, 2015). when Spanish separate
from South America, local citizens selected quinoa as food for them.

So, a social image was created against quinoa that it is a source of
food for poor people. When news reached to catholic church that quinoa
was used to make a holy drink (mudai) in ethnic religion then catholic
ordered to inhibit the cultivation of quinoa. That is why quinoa only
occurs where Europeans do not persist (Vega-Galvez et al., 2010). At the
time of harvesting, quinoa height reaches 1 to 3m. Quinoa can grow
easily in salty, acid or alkaline and can tolerate weather conditions
like too hot or too cold (Sezgin and Sanlier, 2019). Quinoa is not a
true-grain and considered as a fruit because it is a dicotyledon which
is pseudo-grain. The shape of seed is flat and round and diameter is
about 1.5-4mm and colors are shades of grey, black, violet, yellow,
reddish and purple (Maughan, 2009).

Protein: If we compare different cereals then we can say quinoa
contains more nutrients. Quinoa seeds have a remarkable difference in
protein value from 8-22% but these values are very much greater as
compared to wheat, maize, barley, and rice. although other plants have
less than 50%protein content in legumes and pulses. If we talk about
quinoa protein content mostly occurred in the embryo(Garcia-mazcorro et
al., 2016). Quinoa contains two valuable proteins known as globulins and
albumin. Peoples which are sensitive to some kind of gluten can easily
take quinoa as food happily. Off course, Quinoa contains different amino
acids in large quantity as compared to other cereals but especially have
lysine which is not abundantly present in other vegetable plants. We can
take quinoa along with other cereals which are deficient in methionine
and cysteine ratio. Different studies are done on the nutritional
evaluation of quinoa.

Interestingly in raw quinoa protein efficiency ratio (PER) is from
78-93%that of casein. After cooking these PER value increase to 102-105%
that of casein (Valencia-Chamorro, 2003). The protein content of quinoa
is 14-20% (g/100g dry basis) and provide high-quality protein because
quinoa has a very high amount of lysine and methionine amino acids. They
also have other nutritional components such as carbohydrates, fat,
minerals, and vitamins. (Miranda et al., 2015). Quinoa protein is a
great root of histidine and lysine. Studies have shown that quinoa has a
low percentage of prolamine but have two main proteins globulin and
albumin. We can easily relate to the digestibility of quinoa protein
with supplementary foods (Matiacevich et al., 2006). Quinoa has similar
fatty acid composition as soybean. It also has a high-quality value of
edible oil, when we compare the quinoa with another foodstuff. It has
high value of minerals and vitamins (Bertazzo et al., 2011).

Proximate analysis of quinoa shows that it contains 10-18% protein,
4.5-8.75% crude fat, 54.1-64.2% carbohydrate, ash value from 2.4-3.65%
and crude fiber value from 2.1-4.9% Aminoacid value is higher as
compared to wheat and maize and a greater amount of lysin makes quinoa
superior to other cereals (Bertazzo et al., 2011). The key component of
Chenopodium and Amaranthus is the lesser granule sized (< 1 micron)
starch (Vilche et al.,2003). The percentage of Starch is 52-60 of the
grain weight. The content of amylase in quinoa starch is approximately
7%. The comparative crystallinity of starch are 35.0% (Tari, 2002;
Abugoch et al., 2008).

Carbohydrate: Maximum content of quinoa is known as carbohydrates
and value is about 74% on dry matter base, 52-60% starch, a starch found
in the peri-sperm of seed and starch present in a round-shaped
structure. The amylose portion is 11%, which is lesser than in cereals
including barley (26%), rice (17%) and wheat (22%). Starch is the major
carbohydrate element of quinoa and is present in the range of 52% to 74%
(Gonzalez-Garcia et al., 2018). Quinoa starch granules are usually
polygonal, lesser in proportions than ordinary grains, using a diameter
of 0.6 to 2.2 um (Kamp et al., 2014). Being rich in amylopectin, they
have brilliant freeze-thaw constancy which improves its functional
property to be utilized to be a thickener in frozen foods (Schlick,
1993). The dietary fiber can be near to the value with in grains (7 to
9.7% dm), where the level of germ is higher than in the endosperm
(Abugoch et al., 2008).

Dietary fiber has many beneficial properties associated with its
indigestibility in the small bowel. Fiber in the quinoa improves
digestion in large intestine hence, in turn, improve absorption of other
nutrient content in quinoa (Bazile et al., 2014).

Minerals and vitamins: Quinoa supply different types of minerals. It
include zinc, magnesium, iron, and calcium as linked to cereals,
particularly the iron percentage is high. The mineral percentage reduced
12-15% of iron, zinc, and potassium, 27% of copper and 3% loss of
magnesium due to polishing and washing of quinoa seeds. It has a higher
quantity of riboflavin and [alpha]-tocopherol as compared to rice,
barley or wheat. It can also supply vitamin E. this is a good way to
obtain thiamin (0.4mg/100g), folic acid (78.1mg/100g) and ascorbic acid
(16.4mg/100g) (Martin et al., 2014). It include double quantity of
gamma-tocopherol (5.3mg/100g) instead of alpha-tocopherol (2.6mg/100g)
and greater concentration of calcium (874mg/Kg), phosphorus (5.3g/Kg),
magnesium (2.6 mg/100g), iron (81mg/Kg), zinc (36 mg/Kg), potassium (12
g/Kg), and copper (10 mg/Kg) than cereal grains, but the concentration
of mercury, lead and cadmium will be low in terms of the intake of the
components.

Values will be represented on a the basis of dry weight (as the
amount will be higher for oleic and linoleic acid). Vitamins and
minerals content reduced to some extent due to saponins removal from
seeds. Value is high in case of potassium and comparatively low in
circumstance of iron and manganese (Rodriguez et al., 2012).

Fats and lipids: It has been shown that quinoa seed lipids engraved
a massive sum of neutral lipids between all the seed parts. Compared
with total lipids, the ratio of free fatty acid components in whole
buckwheat seeds and shells was 18.9% and 15.4%, respectively.
Triglycerides contribute in a captivating fraction of 50% of neutral
lipids. Triglycerides are present in throughout the seeds and occupy a
portion of 20% of the neutral lipid fraction. As for as, phospholipids
observation is concerned Lysophosphatidic ethanolamine was the most
adequate and accounts for 45% of all polar lipids (Chen et al., 2019).
Phosphatidylcholine was in second-grade point representative of
phospholipid and played a role of 12% of whole seeds of phospholipids. A
noticeable fluctuation in phospholipids has been apparent between
various fractions.

However, quinoa seed products have the same fatty acid arrangement
as another grain, with linoleic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid
present as the main acid (Kilinc et al., 2016). Quinoa provides 2 to 10%
body fat. Quinoa and soya oils show off the same type of structure, thus
quinoa is a healthy way to obtain essential fatty, for example,
linolenic and linoleic (Valencia-Chamorro, 2003). Neutral lipids present
in a large quantity in quinoa seeds as lipids and fatty acids separated
from quinoa seeds were compare from lipids and fatty acids classes. Free
Fatty acids are also present in quinoa seeds accounting for 18.9 and
15.4 percent of total lipids. Triglycerides are also present in large
quantity. (Pereira et al., 2019);(Tang et al.,2015). Triglycerides are
present throughout the seed and contribute 20% towards the neutral lipid
portion. Among phospholipids analyzed, lysophosphatidylethanolamine is
the most copious and is around 45% of the total polar lipids.

A large difference in phospholipids has been evident between several
parts. However, the total fatty acid structure of entire quinoa seeds is
same to other reported grains, with linoleic acid, oleic acid and
palmitic acid present as most important acids (Goyat et al., 2018).

Uses of quinoa: Quinoa is high in protein, full of
vitamins/minerals, so it can be used as a rice replacer. This cereal can
also be used in breakfast, provides energy and aids in weight loss. To
make infants food, boil quinoa in water, so it can be easily digested.
As quinoa is high in fiber content, it can be popped to make popcorn.
Popcorn is an easy source to reduce weight and helps in digestion. These
seeds used as flour and before we make a salad of these seeds, it is
essential that their sprouts must be green. Maize or wheat flour could
be mixed with Quinoa flour. Some amount of quinoa flour replacement have
been stated, such as bread (10-13% quinoa flour), noodles and pasta
(30-40% quinoa flour), and sweet biscuits (60% quinoa flour)
(Valencia-Chamorro, 2003; Goyat and Handa, 2018; Li et al., 2018). In
all cases, high-quality products including flour, drum-dried and
extruded are obtained and given good physical, and nutritional
qualities.

Quinoa flour is good for baking and the reason behind it that
it's high in protein and fiber. It is great for gluten-free baking,
gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley. When boiled, used as rice
and this flour can also be added in the soup to thicken it. As Quinoa
flour made into noodles, this activity is complex because of saponin
content in these seeds. Saponin protects quinoa against insects and some
other threats. They're bitter in taste, so it can be usually
eliminated by soaking in water, washing and roasting before cooking. All
this helps in to get rid of its bitterness. As saponins are a diverse
group of chemicals, and the name 'saponins' comes from the
Latin word "Sapo" which means soap. Because saponins have the
unique properties of blowing agents and emulsifiers. They form a stable
soapy foam when shaken in aqueous solution. Limited research and limited
data available on amino acids composition and protein-bound tryptophan
in quinoa.

The main reason for this research is to verify this nonprotein
tryptophan in bovilian quinoa as compared to the flour of common grains
(Comai et al., 2007). The ratio of buckwheat protein to carbohydrates is
high - bacteria account for about bacteria. 60% of the grain is
associated with wheat, where the germ accounts for less than 3% of the
wheat grain. High protein levels help maintain satiety. Therefore, if
you consume for this purpose, it can help a person lose weight. Studies
have established that products made from buckwheat contain more
antioxidants than typical gluten-free products made with rice or potato
or corn flour. In addition, by adding buckwheat to a diet or snack in a
gluten-free diet, nutrients are most significantly improved, with an
increase in protein, iron calcium and fiber (Kahlon, 2016).

Compared with wheat, quinoa is more closely related to sugar beet
and tumbleweed. It is a functional and nutritionally beneficial plant
with many subspecies; buckwheat is grown along the coast of South
America. quinoa naturally tolerates such large amounts of soil stress,
climate and other natural environmental factors (Kamp et al., 2014).
Different types of quinoa have been adapted to cold climates, barren
lands, high temperature, and nutrient-deficient soil (Alvarez-Jubete,
2010). There are many types of quinoa, only a few types are traded to
the United States and most of which are of the same genome. Native
Bolivians have altered different varieties of quinoa to persist on
mountains with deficient soil and high winds, but it can be enhanced and
harvested to live in most types of soil and climate conditions. One of
its consequence that, quinoa grows best in low nutrient, thin soil.
(Matt, 2011).

Developing countries and less developed countries may use quinoa to
provide adequate nutrition for their populations, rather than using
large tracts of land to rise livestock. Quinoa is said to be more
nutritious than other types of cereals and provides nutrients not found
in animal-derived products. There is a good argument that Quinoa will
provide more nutrients for the land used. Quinoa protein content is
12-18%, much greater than most grains. It is a good origin of soluble
fiber and phosphorus and it is greater in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is
usually gluten-free and easy to absorb (Garcia-mazcorro et al., 2016).
Quinoa is not only rich in protein, but the protein it provides is a
complete protein, which means it contains all nine important amino
acids.

The amino acid account of buckwheat is not only balanced, making it
a good quality for vegetarians to properly consume protein, but
buckwheat is particularly suitable for amino acid lysine, that is
important for muscle growth, development and repair (Alvarez-Jubete,
2010). Contrary to the protein quinoa also has much more benefits to
health of the human being. As quinoa is a excellent origin of manganese
and a good way to obtain magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus, this
"pseudocereal" could be associated with migraines, diabetes
Mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and especially atherosclerosis. In
relationship with wheat, yellow corn and, barley quinoa has been found
to be greater in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron,
copper, manganese and, zinc and has been lesser in sodium than the other
grains (Jancurova et al., 2009).

Amino acids and Proteins are essential macromolecules which perform
a role of structural components as catalysts in many enzyme reactions,
source of energy and synthesis of protein in the animal body. The
biological value of a protein showed the quantity of protein absorbed
from the diet then incorporates the protein in the body. The organic
value of buckwheat is as high as 73%, which is equivalent to 74% of beef
and greater than those of white rice 56%, wheat 49%, and corn 36%.
Quinoa also includes ten important amino acids with a protein content of
12.9% to 16.5%. The main importance is the high lysine value and absent
in numerous grains. It can be an necessary amino acid, and is less in
many legumes (Diaz-rizzolo et al., 2016). Carbohydrates play a role in
signaling molecules, structural constituents and energy sources. For
instance carbohydrate, starch is the main cause of physiological energy
within the human diet.

The percentage of starch in buckwheat is 58.1% to 64.2% of dry
matter, of which 11% is amylose. In addition, buckwheat has great levels
of D-xylose and maltose as well as low levels of glucose and fructose.
100 grams of buckwheat contains 1.70 mg of glucose, 0.20 mg of fructose,
2.90 mg of sucrose, and 1.40 mg of maltose. In addition, studies have
shown that quinoa polysaccharides have antioxidant properties. Quinoa
has a GI range of 35-53, depending on cooking time; 150 grams of
buckwheat is cooked, chilled and heated in a microwave for another 1.5
minutes with a GI of 53. Overcooking do not effect quinoa quality.
(Alvarez-Jubete, 2010; Filho, 2017).

Lipids are a concentrated source of energy and a structural
component of the cell membrane that the body uses to perform various
normal functions. Higher vegetable intake is related with less chances
of type-II diabetes because they have higher un-saturated contents of
fat, that is linked with lowering the level of infection. Lipid quality
is essential. For example, omega-6 is known to stimulate inflammatory
activity in vivo, while omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect (Chen et
al., 2019). A lower proportion of omega-6, omega-3 fatty acids is more
suitable for reducing the chance of heart disease, cancer, inflammation,
and auto immune disorder. The content of total lipid in buckwheat can be
14.5%, and about 70%-89.4% is certainly unsaturated (38.9%-57% for
linoleic acid, 24.0%-27.7% for oleic acid, and 4% for [alpha]-linolenic
acid).

The vitamin E can be protected by unsaturated fatty acid content of
plants. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in buckwheat is approximately 6
(Rodriguez et al., 2012);(Tang et al., 2015)

Vitamins are substance vital for the fitness of human beings. Quinoa
provides numerous supplements, with 100g of the grains comprising;

Thiamine###:###0.4mg

Folic acid###:###78.1mg folic acid,

Vit. C###:###1.4mg

Vit. B6###:###0.20mg

Pantothenic acid: 0.61mg.

Vit. E varies from approximately 37-60 ug/g.

Tocopherol isoforms are also found:

Gamma-tocopherol: 47-53ug/g, Alpha-tocopherol: 17-26 ug/g

[beta]-and I'-tocopherol: less than 5ug/mg (Filho,

2017).

Dietary minerals are important as they maintain electrolyte and
glucose level, nerve impulses transmission and enzyme co-factors in the
animal body. Level of different minerals like Calcium, Mg, and potassium
in quinoa is enough to balance the human diet. (Semra, N., and Senliar
2016).

Gluten is present in the largest amount of food. Gluten is made up
of proteins gliadin and glutenins. Immune-mediated disease celiac
disease occur due to gluten in which inflammation of small intestine
occurs. Therefore patients of this disease should consume gluten-free
food (Kahlon, 2016). Some gluten free foods have more salt and saturated
fat but contain less vitamins and minerals (Naqash et al., 2017). Quinoa
is a gluten free and healthy diet. It also contain extraordinary range
of vitamins and minerals as well quinoa complies using the Codex Aliment
Arius nomenclature of gluten-free products that is gluten content minor
than 20 mg/Kg (Jancurova et al., 2009).

Nutritional Profile and Antioxidant Potential of Quinoa Varieties:
Razzeto et al., 2019 studied the nutritional composition, identifies
some antinutritional factors and antioxidant compounds, and evaluated
their antioxidant activity in four advanced lines of quinoa seeds
obtained in experimental plots. For that purpose, proteins, total
lipids, fiber, moisture, ash, and carbohydrates, as well as fatty acid
composition and mineral content, were determined in whole meal flours.
The presence of trypsin inhibitors, saponins, nitrates, oxalates, and
phytate was also evaluated, as well as total phenols and antioxidant
activity. The new quinoa varieties have shown good nutritional
properties, with higher contents of protein as compared to that of
cereals. In that work, the examination of the proximate and mineral
profile of quinoa indicated that the pseudocereal has a similar profile
but considerably higher than rice, a traditional cereal.

Quinoa is a rich in Mg, iron, manganese, copper, and molybdenum,
which are elements that are incomplete in almost all gluten-free
cereals. The tests performed on the evaluated antinutrient compounds
resulted within the acceptable values for human consumption (Razzeto et
al., 2019). Quinoa seeds are also considered to have a large nutritional
health benefit because they increase the amount of compounds beneficial
to human well being, such as proteins, poly-unsaturated fatty acids,
carotenoids, fiber and minerals. Extracts of these plants with various
solvent mixtures containing ethanol and water has been formed using a
microwave apparatus. Following UHPLC examination and photo-diode range
can be used to quantify biologically active substances such as
7-sopentenyloxycoumarin, auraptene, umbelli-prenin and
4'-geranyloxyferulic acid.

Ethanol is proved to be the optimum solvent with regards to
extractive yields as well as the above-mentioned phyto-chemicals has
been recorded within the concentration range 2.01-49.22ug/g dried
extract. Results shown here discovered that quinoa is a excellent source
of oxyprenylated umbelliferone and ferulic acid derivatives (Fiorito et
al, 2019). Studies reported that quinoa verities are safe for human
consumption and beneficial due to the content of nutrients and bioactive
compounds that exert protection against many diseases (Razzeto et al.,
2019).

Conclusions: Quinoa is consumed and used as daily essential food
throughout the world due to its higher amount of protein in relation to
general cereals because it contains ascorbic acid, vitamin E tocopherols
and B complex vitamins niacin, folic acid, thiamine. Minerals (calcium,
potassium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus), it also contains
isoflavones and the best type of triglyceride. A functional perspective
of the quinoa plant is of great importance as are being used in the
therapeutics and control of different health related issues.